This specification relates to synonym verification.
Synonyms are commonly used in query expansion. For example, when a user submits a search query to a search engine, the search engine can automatically expand the query to include synonyms for the terms of the query. The search engine then identifies resources responsive to the expanded query and uses the identified resources to generate one or more search results for presentation to the user.
The synonyms used in query expansion are often generated by computers, for example, using transliteration and diacritical variant techniques. However, these computer generated synonyms are not always valid synonyms. For example, “t{hacek over (e)}{hacek over (z)}ká vína” might be identified as a synonym for “t{hacek over (e)}{hacek over (z)}ká vína”, as the only difference between the two terms is the diacritical over the “i” in “t{hacek over (e)}{hacek over (z)}ká vína.” However, the two terms have very different meanings “T{hacek over (a)}{hacek over (z)}ká vina” means “heavy guilt” in Czech, while “t{hacek over (e)}{hacek over (z)}ká vína” means “heavy wines” in Czech. Therefore, “t{hacek over (e)}{hacek over (z)}ká vína” is not a valid synonym for “t{hacek over (e)}{hacek over (z)}ká vína.”